SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE Blu-ray Review

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE (Blu-ray + Digital HD)

Release Date: July 11, 2016

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Video: 1.85:1 1080p Widescreen

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Portuguese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1

THE RATINGS

The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Special Features - ★ ★ ★ ½ ✰

Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
You won't feel blue after watching this fun little film.

Reviewed by Gavin King

This review may contain spoilers.

The Smurfs of today are not the Smurfs of yesteryear. Gone are the light, classic roots of the original Peyo cartoon that was beloved in the era of the 1980s. Those were entertaining, respectable, funny, and lovable little vignettes that pretty much held themselves firm as one of the best, and most iconic, cartoons of the golden age. They didn't have convoluted plots, they didn't suffer from complicated, overwrought storylines, and they didn't slam audiences on the head with oversaturated lowest-common-denominator kiddie fare. They were, instead, simple but nevertheless incredibly joyous little cartoons that brought out the inner child in all of us and remind us of a time when every story, plotline, and antic had a meaning to it. (Mind you, I wasn't alive at the time, but I can totally see where the point of view of this comes from when you look at all this through a nostalgia nut's head.) Now, thanks to the success of such live-action hybrids like 2008's Alvin and the Chipmunks and even the big-budgeted Transformers franchise, 2011's The Smurfs came into play, a completely harmless but generally unremarkable viewing experience that missed the spark that made the classic television toon so enjoyable. Of course, a sequel followed, 2013's The Smurfs 2, an even less fun follow-up (if you can believe it) that seemed more of like a cash grab than anything else. Well, folks, take everything I said above and throw it all aside, because Smurfs: The Lost Village is the saving grace to all of that conflict. Now this is more like it. Sony Pictures Animation's latest fully-animated take on the titular Belgian blue creatures looks to be a more faithful take on the original Peyo creation, and it really works. Sure, it may not be a perfect movie - it can be argued that the film falls into the trap of animated movie typicality in a few moments, and it admittedly does get a bit predictable at some points - but the unmissable respect to the 80's cartoon and even the original comic is absolutely appreciated, and Smurfaholics are guaranteed to be overjoyed.

"Maybe this invention can tell me what an '-ette' is!"

Out in the forest, there's a little town known as Smurf Village, where a three-apples-high race of blue little creatures known as the Smurfs inhabit and do their business. Each Smurf has a meaning, literally. There's Clumsy Smurf (voiced by Jack McBrayer), who seems to be an innocent fellow but almost always seems to get himself worked up into a tizzy thanks to his lack of balance. Then there's Brainy Smurf (voiced by Danny Pudi), who means well with his book full of facts but no Smurf seems to enjoy having a fun factoid thrown into their daily routines. There's Hefty Smurf (voiced by Joe Manganiello), too, who's a buff dude that's always trying to look the most muscular out of the many Smurfs in the village. There's tons others as well, whether Baker Smurf (voiced by Gordon Ramsay), Grouchy Smurf (voiced by Jake Johnson), Nosy Smurf (voiced by Kelly Asbury), and even Table-Eating Smurf... I'm assuming all he does is eat tables? Point is, all of the Smurfs are named after what they do best. But then take Smurfette (voiced by Demi Lovato). She's different than the Smurfs working hard around her in the village. For starters, she's a girl, and the only girl Smurf in all of Smurf Village. Second, her name doesn't have a meaning, like the rest of the Smurfs. Raising the question; What is an "-ette?" It's a tough question to answer in town, apparently. Even Brainy's new invention, the Smurfy Thing-Finder, can't decipher the definition. One day, Smurfette decides to take a quick stroll out into the forest. She finds a Smurf hat lying in the woods and tries to catch the attention of the Smurf who could have lost it. She's eventually caught by the evil wizard Gargamel (voiced by Rainn Wilson) who traps her in his lair and uses the hat Smurfette found to create a potion that reveals a map to a supposed "lost village". Her friends Brainy, Hefty, and Clumsy save her from the wizard just in time, but when they return back to Smurf Village, Papa Smurf grounds the four for sneaking out without permission. The next night, however, Smurfette sneaks back out to the forest with her pals to try and find what lies beyond the forest and to see if there is a different race of Smurfs evidenced by the pickup of the Smurf hat. Team Smurf gets into all sorts of adventures - crazy flowers, colorful but vicious fireflies, and a friendly Glowbunny Smurfette names Bucky - but no obstacle will stop them on their journey to find out if Smurfette really is the only girl Smurf out there. But they'd better be careful, as Gargamel, his cat Azrael (voiced by Frank Welker), and his new pet vulture Monty (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) are hot on their tail, ready to catch a Smurf by any costs.

Smurfs: The Lost Village ditches all the modernizations and hipness that practically molded its live-action predecessors. What's graced here is a more faithful, nostalgic representation of the Smurfs and their environments, almost as the way Peyo would have envisioned it. The movie doesn't see live-action-looking Smurfs darting around New York City, screwing around in an FAO Schwartz toy store, causing mischief in an apartment, being inspirations for an ad involving a blue moon, or childishly gloating the words, "Ooh! Google!". The movie doesn't set its point of view on the Smurfs being in an environement outside theirs, at least speaking in the sense of our real world. The movie's character designs aren't almost disconcertingly human-like, with realistic eyes or human-reminiscent skin. Smurfs: The Lost Village rather takes the blue characters we all know and love and converts them and the locations around them into an end product that Peyo himself would be proud of. The Smurf characters themselves are more appreciably cartoonized, with the trademark big eyes and movements that would be considered as very animation-friendly. There's very few, if any, nostalgic stone unturned. The Smurf Village is designed in a way that the 80's cartoon would have personified it as. Animation smears, multiples (with the best example being when Monty the vulture gets caught on a conveyor belt), and stretching are apparent, a trademark with old-fashioned animation. The film gets its target audience right on the money, and it delivers, offering fans of the old toon with a wonderfully inventive amount of throwback and introducing newbies and younger viewers to a world that's many years past us and has, unfortunately, been replaced with unneeded live-action adaptaions.

Smurfberries roasting on an open fire...

The digital craftsmanship on the film is absolutely gorgeous. It sees a wonderful, impressive, and very seamless mix of the aformentioned reminiscence and a beautifully animated, eye-gougingly colorful utopia. For cartoon-based CGI animation, it doesn't get much better, visual-wise, than this. You have got to give credit to the folks over at Sony Pictures Animation for handcrafting a realm that balances these two factors with effortless and visaully-intoxicating ease. When the Smurfs enter the forest and explore all the surprising sights and entities, such as the Venus-Fly-Trap-like flowers and the rainbow of fireflies (emphasis on that fire), the digital artists introduce viewers to a world that's not only extremely colorful in every sense of the term but in addition to that a beautifully designed phenomenon that might even get the adults in the audience engaged knowing that there was plenty of hard work burned into the final cut. The characters are irresistibly cute and funny but also well-developed in their personality attributes. Brainy is a guy who wants to share to the world some thought-provoking did-you-knows but ends up getting scoffed at in the long run. Clumsy wants to try his hardest to fit in but his, well, clumsiness gets in the way of it. Hefty is a cool, calm, collected dude who's buff but realizes the meaning of teamwork and emphasis in the most daunting of moments. These Smurfs are human, metaphorically speaking, and they have real human emotions, too. They're not just guys that go around showcasing the meaning of their names by doing what they do. They're more than what their names tell them to be, and they're not afraid to show it in situations that require it.

But out of all the character developments in the film - from the relaxed leader of the village Team Smurf finally scopes out, Smurf Willow (voiced by Julia Roberts) or the spunky, energetic Smurf Blossom (voiced by Ellie Kemper) - it's expectedly Smurfette who shines the bright light here. She's the only female Smurf in a town of all male Smurfs. She's trying to figure out her purpose in the village, what she means to society, and if she really does mean anything at all. What director Kelly Asbury and writers Stacey Harman and Pamela Ribon (known for writing Moana) do to draw out the conflicts of the character is something really incredible. They perfectly showcase the struggles of what it's like to be the odd one out in a world of people who are the same. Feeling isloated, feeling out-of-place, feeling just flat-out different. It's relatable stuff, and that's something the filmmakers at Sony Animation nail at doing. They understand Smurfette's feeling, and it's what makes her such a three-dimensional character, one sure to go down in history with the greats. With all of those positives said, the movie is not perfect. There's a handful of moments where it seems like it wants to take the easy road out and slightly smidge it into a basic adventure film at times, and the ending goes into a predictable territory that doesn't bring much new to the table. When it all wraps up, though, it's not really that much of a concern. It's a lovable, fast-paced, zany, impressively-thought-out, and gorgeously-designed feature that may not get nominated for any Oscars or Golden Globes but stands its own extraordinarily well and makes for a great viewing on family movie night.


SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE Blu-ray - Video Quality

Unsurprisingly, Smurfs: The Lost Village looks astonishing on Blu-ray. Sony Pictures Animation's films have generally always been reference-quality bliss with the high-definition format, and this one is no different. It's breathtaking, outstanding, gobsmackingly gorgeous, perhaps not in line with the photorealistic beasts of Blu-ray like Finding Dory and such but the digital craftsmanship is unparalleled. Of course, the standout, color-wise, is the iconic blue Smurf skin. It's a deliciously colorful blue that obviously fluctuates in terms of whether the surrounding environment is light or dark but gives Smurf lovers and high-definition junkies a right-on-the-money representation of what those cute little creatures should look like. Once Team Smurf gets to the Smurfy Grove, the Smurfs there are a more dominant blue due to their outfits and costumes, and it totally fits the mood. But Smurf blue isn't all that dominates the palette. Mushroom house reds, firepit orange, leaf greens, and dozens others literally blast off the screen with truly stunning color dominance and exceptional prowess. Detailing is excellent, too, with fine intricacies on Smurf skin, a stony wall, Azrael's fur, and flowing water on a river impressing hugely. Everything has "1080p reference" written all over it. Black levels are nicely deep in some darker, less vibrant moments. I could not find a single artifact like banding or aliasing anywhere in the encode. It's total eye-candy all-around, a 1080p transfer that's on the list of the best animated movie video presentations out there.

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE 4K Blu-ray - Audio Quality

Smurfs: The Lost Village features an aggresive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that employs regular usage of the soundstage at its disposal. The opening Columbia logo sets a great example of what to expect from the track. The weight and power of the recognized theme comes across with big power and instrumental extension. The film continues that tradition with its score in a wonderful stage presence by placing different instruments across the channels. It practically feels like we're in the middle of the recording studio. Pop beats engage, too, with a healthy engagement throughout that never feels timid or overpowered. A number of certain effects are particularly forceful. These scenes include, but are not limited to; Gargamel's magic brew, the cave escape with the Glowbunnies, the attack on Smurfy Grove, and mounds more. Each scene comes wrapped with a better-than-expected subwoofer presence and consistent panning as characters move from left to right (this is especially playful in the cave sequence). A waterfall features some nice LFE usage, too, delivering with the bassiness as it would sound in real life. Ambience around the Smurf Village is wonderfully implemented. Chirping birds and rustling leaves on trees draw the listener into the locale. There's also good immersion in the Smurfy Grove, among a plethora of other locations, too. Above all the mayhem, dialogue is still well-prioritized and extra-clear and audible in the front. This is another strong, balanced, and consistently engaging track from Sony Pictures Animation.

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE Blu-ray - Special Features

- Emoji Sneak Peek A look at the upcoming animated film about the popular Emoji.

- Filmmaker Commentary Kelly Asbury (Director), Alan Hawkins (Animation Supervisor), and Brandon Jeffords (Head of Story) deliver a wonderful commentary track. It's maturely but lightly spoken, exploring characters, animation, story origins, and so much more. "And there's Smurfette... everyone's little blue sweetheart."

- Deleted Scenes Each deleted scene features an introductory background of the deleted scene and its original place in the film. Deleted scenes include the following: Smurfberry Blast, Brainy's Experiment, Bridge Escape, and Gargamel's Lair.

- Kids at Heart! The Making of Smurfs: The Lost Village This featurette takes a walkthrough across the film's process, including animation, casting, the joys of making a film of this caliber, and more. At some points children stand in for the adults to simulate that the filmmaking experience was a entertainingly childlike one. This is a very fun, very light supplement, and, as I always say, fans will love it.

- The Lost Auditions The film's voice actors and actresses humorously audition for roles they didn't quite get the part of.

- Demi Lovato Meets Smurfette How did Demi Lovato get to be the part of Smurfette?

- Lost Village Dance Along Kids can get off the couch and on their feet with this dance-along.

- Smurfify Your Nails Learn how to design your nails Smurfs: The Lost Village style!

- Baker Smurf's Mini Kitchen A Gordon Ramsay-voiced Baker Smurf cooks up Smurf-size donuts.

- Meghan Trainor: "I'm a Lady" Music Video As seen in the credits.

- Making the Song "You Will Always Find Me In Your Heart" The filmmakers discuss how this song impacts the movie's final act's emotional impact.

- The Sound of the Smurfs Composer Christopher Lennertz and the filmmaking gang talk about the themes of the film's bouncy score.

- Draw Your Favorite Smurfs Learn how to draw Smurfette, Brainy, and Clumsy Smurf in no time.

- See More Smurfs! The Smurfs 1 & 2 trailers, The Legend of Smurfy Hollow trailer, Smurfs: A Christmas Carol trailer, and Smurfs: Bubble Party trailer.

SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation

In the supplement Demi Lovato Meets Smurfette on this release, Smurfette and Demi Lovato mention something about "the sequel, Smurfs: The Found Village". And who knows! Smurfs: The Lost Village is, hands-down, the best recent Smurfs film yet, easily stepping away from the overly modern and too-hip stride that was 2011's The Smurfs and its 2013 sequel. It's a little predictable towards the final act, but the sheer visual craftsmanship on the film as well as its faithfulness to the original beloved Peyo creation is much appreciated. Kids are going to love it, and adults will breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the try-hard aspect of its predecessors from a few years back is gone here. Sony's Blu-ray is unsurprisingly stellar. It's got demo-worthy video, booming audio, and a nice mix of kid-oriented and adult-friendly bonus features give this package one you won't be disappointed picking up. Highly recommended!

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POWER RANGERS Blu-ray Review

POWER RANGERS (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)

Release Date: June 27, 2016

Studio: Lionsgate Home Entertainment

Video: 2.40:1 1080p Widescreen

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Enhanced For Late-Night Listening)

THE RATINGS

The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰

Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Special Features - ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰

Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
It's Sophomorphin' Time.

Reviewed by Gavin King

Power Rangers has "teenage dominance" written all over it. Granted, not every action film can always be a serious, gritty, and brooding Zack Snyder fest, but this one just seems too hyperbolic, teenager-wise, for its own good. That doesn't make Power Rangers a bad movie. It just wants to appeal to its main demographic, the adolescent audience, rather than appealing to a nationwide majority. It's also a film that seems to aim for those who grew up with the Mighty Morphin' saga back in its golden days, though it wants to gear for the former, the teen audience. But that doesn't mean this film is one big pubsecent angst-a-thon. It's got big action set pieces, an action-friendly score, and bombastic visual effects. The film is something of a confused identity, stuck with the decision on whether it wants to be a relatable teen adventure or a big-budgeted actioner, but it baseline satisfies with its generally strong performances and rollicking action.

Five teens, one destiny.

Five teens - Jason Scott (Darce Montgomery), Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler), Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott), Zack (Ludi Lin), and Trini (Becky G) - come across an old gold mine that was blown up by Billy. It reveals five Power Coins, which each of them take but are caught by security but escape safely. The next day, each of the kids discover something special. They have unique powers that amaze themselves and their fellow classmates at school. The kids then return to the mine; this time, they all discover an ancient spaceship. There, they meet the robot Alpha-5 (voiced by Bill Hader) and the conciousness of Zordon (Bryan Cranston) inside the Morphing Grid. Zordon tells them that they are all now the Power Rangers and gives them some information about Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), a former Power Ranger who betrayed the team to control the Zeo Crystal. Now these new Power Rangers must harness their abilities to take out the dastardly plans of Rita before the city of Angel Grove is destroyed forever.

The movie takes itself a bit too seriously, despite its aformentioned dominance on teenage angst. There's little humor other than a few opening sequences introducing the kids and a few little bits with Bill Hader's Alpha-5. The movie could have benefited from being more light on its feet, not falling into the easily vulnerable trap that is the dimness of most action junctures nowadays. Sure it's Power Rangers, and sure the instantly recognizable theme is there amidst the movie's action, but at the end of the day it's still expositionary routine. Yet much of the same can be granted to similar films of this sort of genre. They're not exactly breeding grounds for airy flair and humor and are more focused on building to the action-oriented storyline via exposition and big build-up scenes, and Power Rangers isn't an exception to the rule.

So you guys are the Power Rangers?

Yeah, there's a good amount of teenage angst, but it's not hugely constant. The film thrives on a fairly continuous sense of the way teenagers this age precieve things. It can sometimes be fun (the action scenes), sometimes a little much (the bathroom scene with Kimberly). If anything, it's nice enough that the cast knows the characteristics of being a teen, if they were that way or not (probably the former). The performances aren't Oscar-winning, but they're more than adequate, with the best of the teen performances being RJ Cyler as Billy Cranston, who brings out an appreciable sense of social anxiety to his character. Sure he'll fit in well with his fellow Power Rangers, but he's also looking for a few true friends, too. Elizabeth Banks makes for a welcome Rita Repulsa, maybe not the first choice for the role but she knows what she's doing and realizes the Power Rangers essence. Bill Hader's voice performance as the robot Alpha-5 is appreciated, as well, nothing too huge considering his constant work in voice performances in animation and live action alike but nevertheless giving the robot character a nice addition into the Power Rangers universe.

Even through the film's flaws, the good generally seeps along the bad. The film is a technical success, with an endless cacophony of visual (and aural) effects that bring color and light to the Power Rangers universe, even through the serious dimness of the film that's really become routine. Action sequences are fun, loud, well-coreographed... it's stuff we've come to expect from years and years of modernized action cinema, but it's well-done stuff, too, again maybe taking itself a little too seriously but not necessarily at the expense of thrilling joy and entertainment. It's B-movie popcorn fluff, nothing more, nothing less, and should satisfy harcore Rangerholics and leave general audiences with the idea that there was effort put into the final product.

POWER RANGERS Blu-ray - Video Quality

Power Rangers morphs out on Blu-ray with a typically high-end 1080p transfer. The movie was shot digitally with Red Epic cameras, a very slick, glossy type of digital camera in this reviewer's opinion, but the image retains an abundant amount of fine-point detail. Scuffs and marks on Ranger suits, rocky terrain in the cave, and the interior of an abandoned spaceship are clean and sharp, perhaps not to the point of becoming reference material but still delivering that trademark sharpness that comes with digitally-shot feature films. The film's color palette sort of dims the level of fine detail, as the film goes for darker and more muted shades (especially in the cave and spaceship), but we're still left with pinpoint sharpness to enjoy. The iconic Ranger armor is well-saturated in color - the Red, Blue, Yellow, Pink, and even Black - as are the bright visual effects in the film's titular final act. The encode's undoubted strength is its incredible depth of field, with sprawling vistas of the gold mine the kids go to, as well as a few other wide shots involving other sorts of nature. The image sees stable black levels in most every scene (save for a couple shots which go ever-so-mildly pasty) and serious compression artifacts were not spotted. All told, Power Rangers makes for a solid video presentation on Blu-ray. It may not bring much new to the table, but it certainly meets any and all expectations.

POWER RANGERS Blu-ray - Audio Quality

Power Rangers features a truly amazing Dolby Atmos soundtrack, probably one of the finest listens I've heard on my surround sound system. The track makes consistent use of the surround channels in most every scene. During the opening scene where Scott escapes the cops, as the camera pans in a circle, the speakers correspond to the location the camera is placed at. For example, as the camera pans to the back of the car, we can hear Scott's voice in the surrounds. It's an almost startling surround element and it's only a sign of what amazing power the track has to come soon. An explosion around the 19-minute-mark pulses with a healthy bass accompaniment and supportive surround structure. As the kids reveal their colors underwater, the sound of water gurgling fully envelops the stage. The ending battle with Rita Repulsa is a particularly impressive cacophony of endlessly detailed action sound effects that puts the LFE channel in great effect and pulls the viewer right into battle with the Rangers. There's some astounding stuff here. Atmospherics are extraordinarily well-implemented; seagulls on a pier, pouring rain, nighttime crickets by the mine, and a school hallway completely immerse the listener into the film's locations. No matter what the environment, what the time, the multichannel track brings fully-detailed life to each interior and exterior location. Music is nicely-placed too, with tight bass and full stage involvement, no matter what genre. Even through all this constant enveloping, dialouge never once falls short and stays perfectly audible and crisp throughout. This is demo-worthy material, and it's one that audiophiles shouldn't be shy to introduce to their home theater sound systems.

POWER RANGERS Blu-ray - Special Features

- Audio Commentary with Director Dean Isrealite and Writer John Gatins Director Dean Isrealite and writer John Gatins discuss various production elements, aspects about the original show compared to this film, locations, and more. They leave a handful of silent spots but deliver a track that fans should enjoy.

- The Power of the Present is a nine-part supplement that's pretty in-depth, exploring the original Power Rangers origin, cast interviews, behind-the-scenes clips, and much, much more. The parts include Rangers Then to Now, Building the Team, Beyond the Rangers, Suiting Up, Rangers Welcome to Training, Rangers in the Wild, It's Morphin' Time, Power Ballad: Music and Sound, and This Is Your Destiny.

- Deleted / Alternate / Extended Scenes include Kimberly Dropped at School, Jason & Dad Fight in Kitchen, Swing the Shell, Stole a Cow & Invaded Police / Longer Spectrum, Where to Drill Cop, Were You Serious About Running Away?, Who Stole The Van?, Kim Doesn't Know Trini's Name, Creepy Cave Walk, Good Talk / In the Bucky Ball, I'm Sam Scott This is My Boat, Crazy How Someone Stole the Van, Let's Go Train, Tommy - Kimberly Cameo, You Don't Need a Locker, Rita Licks Trini, The Kiss, and Kid Touches Megazord. Whew!

- Outtakes Funny moments from the cast and crew.

- Theatrical Trailer (with Audio Commentary by Dean Isrealite)

POWER RANGERS Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation

Power Rangers is a mixed bag. It doesn't know what kind of movie it wants to be - an angsty teen flick or a breakneck action movie - but it satisfies with is fun final act, strong visual effects, and good cast performances. It's flawed, to be sure - a bit on the angsty side (as I keep mentioning), falls into slightly derivative routine, could boast a more breezy tone - but, on the positive side of things, this is popcorn fluff with a capital F, by no means going to win any big movie awards but gives fans of the franchise what they want and leaving the non-converted with a satisfied look on their faces. Lionsgate's Blu-ray delivers most of the goods; a hugely effective Dolby Atmos soundtrack, top-shelf 1080p video quality, and a good allotment of supplements, bolstered by a 2 hour and 20 minute long feature. Recommended.

I will add extra screenshots later. Thank You!

THE GREAT WALL Blu-ray Review

THE GREAT WALL (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)

Release Date: May 23, 2016

Studio: Universal Studios Home Entertainment

Video: 2.40:1 1080p Widescreen

Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 Core), Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1

THE RATINGS

The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ½ ✰

Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Special Features - ★ ★ ✰ ✰ ✰

Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰

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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
Maybe great is a bit of an overstatement, but it's all in cheesy fun.

Reviewed by Gavin King

What a transfer in the characteristics of roles for Matt Damon in the past several months. Rewind back to July of 2016, Damon was the main in the latest installment in his trademark trilogy Jason Bourne, involving, fist fights, espionage, gun-to-gun violence, motorcycle chases, and more. It wasn't a bad movie, but it wasn't a very good one, either, reverting to slightly repetitive formula in lieu of its Bourne predecessors, featuring much of the same and less of much new inventive ideas to a once sparkling, edge-of-your-seat series. Still, though, fans of the saga loved it, and it's not necessarily difficult to see why. It's generally quite fun to see Matt Damon kick some butt as he travels across the globe, taking out his nearby villains to well-coreographed - albeit nearly headache-inducingly shakingly shot - skill. Fast-foward to February 2017, and Damon becomes yet again the leading role of an action-oriented movie. Yet this film is very much different in scope, plot, and focus to 2016's Jason Bourne. The Great Wall takes place in a fantasy China, which rests on the notion that the warriors were using the wall to keep out menacing creatures that stem as magnets of battle and brutality - and a relatively high body count. It's by no means particularly novel or even somewhat original - damn it all if it isn't the slightest bit derivative - but The Great Wall is the kind of film you can sit around with your friends, drink a few beers (though be careful not to get too drunk), and just have a darn fun time with. Forget its plot and come for the silly action and you'll find yourself having a really good popcorn time.

William takes a few steps.

The Great Wall takes place around the Song dynasty of AD 1010-63, in which two mercenaries named William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) are on the hunt for black powder but themselves, including their following men, are chased by bandits, leaving the duo to escape into a nearby cave and battling a mysterious monster. The next day, William and Tovar are taken prisoner by a large group of Chinese soldiers known as the Nameless Order, who greet the two and prepare them for an incoming battle. After prepping for battle, they then face a monster which attempts to enter the Great Wall. Determined to rid the creature, William and Tovar attempt to defeat the monster - and save a few souls on the way. Their skill and courage impresses the Chinese and earns their respect. The two learn more and more about the Nameless Order and its villains during their stay - and continuously prepare for what kinds of odd creatures and monsters are on their tail next.

Not that much of an interesting plot, right? While no doubt it does slightly intrigue at some points, it's not the most fully engaging story in the world. Besides, let's be honest; we come to these kinds of movie for the corny action, agreeably acceptable hyperbole, and even maybe, just maybe, the silly dialogue. The Great Wall epitomizes all of that, but at least it's in a way that audiences like me can appreciate. It's no meaty story, but the action more than satisfies to create a basic fun popcorn movie. That being said, it's far from groundbreaking stuff - as mentioned before, it relies on hyperbole and a pinch of exaggeration to move its story forward - but it makes for one of the more enjoyable munch-on-your-popcorn-and-smile-like-a-complete-idiot movies out there - that is, if there ever was a list for that.

I must tell you about the Great Wall of China...

Performances aren't going to blow people away, but they surely get the job done. Matt Damon does a fairly good job as his character, William, in pure fantasy fashion. He's likely the reason people are going to flee to the movie, if anything, and he'll satisfy action-hungry fans with his always dependable charisma in fighting off the monsters that ever so want to get over the Great Wall. Supporting roles are fine, too, most notably the chinese women who bang on the huge drums to signal positions and attacks for the Nameless Order. One of the movie's strenghts is its colorful cinematography, stuffed to the gills with stylish costumes, savage monsters, and eye-popping wide shots of various locations that the film takes place in. It's a very attractive visual style, and leave it to a guy like Zhang Yimou to really bring out the bling in his stylish, big-budgeted fantasy.

As said above, The Great Wall does rely on some serious exaggeration to keep its story manuevering over its blessedly brief 96-minute runtime. Arrows are shot at Matt Damon's character and his parter when they first come across the Great Wall, and the arrows seem to hit surrounding them, and not on them, in a rather cartoonish way. Members of the Nameless Order scurry along and quickly bow down to their leader, reminding them of incoming attacks pointing their way. Monster battles are very fantasy-esque; they take an almost Hobbit like designing in the way the area is designed where the monsters rampage out of. But it's what makes the film fun in the first place, actually. Sure, the film may take itself a bit too seriously, but it's all in good fun - especially when one considers what visionary masterclass director Zhang Yimou had in mind in the first place.

THE GREAT WALL Blu-ray - Video Quality

Yep, I'm impressed. The Great Wall features a truly outstanding video presentation that's pure demo material for home theater systems from the first minute to the last. The visual excellence is apparent all throughout the runtime. Nameless Order costumes spring to life with vibrant splashes of blue and red. Blazing hot fireballs slash through with unmistakable orange flash and power. Even less flashy pieces of the palette like the dimmer walkways of the Great Wall filled with fog are still brimming with truly great naturalism that does the film's visual intent justice. Details are just as striking. Armor and suits are the unquestioned standout. Yimou has crafted the costumes with a startling, rich complexity that brings to life every fabric, belt, piece of leather, and every single aspect of the textural astonishment with ease. Facial pores, metal gear, and terrain are top notch, too, with no inch of the digital source photography being scoffed off to the typical digital flatness that The Great Wall is not a symptom of. Black levels come just as expected, with a firm deepness that never succumbs to murkiness. No compression artifacts were spotted in the presentation. The Great Wall makes for one terrific visual showcase on Blu-ray.

THE GREAT WALL Blu-ray - Audio Quality

The Great Wall's hugely effective Dolby Atmos lossless soundtrack breathes fiery life into every arrow blast, monster attack, clanking of metal, and piece of machinery with absolutely zero complaint. It's hands-down one of the finest listens of the year so far, a reference-quality sound mix all the way. The overheads catapult power to each and every thunderous battle the film throws its way, and while it's hard to say that those extra channels are constantly utilized throughout the experience, it's a lot harder to say that they aren't used effectively. Because they really are. Each action effect is wonderfully complimented throughout each speaker in the multichannel surround sound sytem, with flawless surround accompaniment and astonishing bass extension. The LFE channel is put to good use in a number of scenes, but its best moment is when those huge drums are beat. It'll put your subwoofer to the test and shake the foundation of your house. But the track isn't just a loud cacophony of fantasy warfare battle. The track has its subtler moments that are used to a greatly immersive extent, like the dining room Matt Damon's character grabs a bite to eat in after battle, windy gusts outside the great wall, and dozens others. Ramin Djawadi's percussion-laden score is offered a nice stage envelopment here, and perfectly prioritized dialogue collects everything into tip-top shape. Audiophiles, take note; The Great Wall makes for an astounding, pulse-pounding sound mix that'll leave you breathless.

THE GREAT WALL Blu-ray - Special Features

- Deleted and Extended Scenes include the following: Commander Lin Enters the Great Wall, Guards Take Tovar to the Barrocks, Ballard Takes Tovar Inside the Wall, Extended Scheming in Ballard's Suite, Extended Funeral Sequence, Tovar and Ballard Wait For William, Lin Mae Arrives at the West Tower, and Extended Emperor Sequence.

- Matt Damon in China Matt Damon recaps his work on the film.

- Working With Director Zhang Yimou The Great Wall's cast and crew sing their praises about the director.

- The Great Wall Visual Effects The film's VFX artists explain the daunting process of crafting the film's special effects.

- Man vs. Monster Composed of three parts: The First Battle, The Second Battle, and The Third Battle. As these titles suggest, the pieces explain the film's big battles.

- Weapons of War Another self-explanatory title, this piece takes a look at the film's weapons used to kill and catch the monsters.

- Designing a Spectacular World Takes a look at the film's production design.

THE GREAT WALL Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation

The Great Wall is dumb, sure, but it's dumb fun. Excuse the film's false history and convoluted plot and go for the visuals and bombastic action sequences. In that scope, you'll be having a good time. It's a flawed film to be sure, but the good rises way above the bad in this case; sharp, eye-opening visual effects (courtesy of visual savant Zhang Yimou), rock-solid though far from Oscar-worthy performances, and impressive technical support. Come into The Great Wall expecting a breath of fresh air in the fantasy action genre that rocks the world in terms of this kind of cinema, and you'll likely walk away disappointed. But for those who know what they're in for and can forgive an unrealistic story for bonkers in the entertainment department, come in with popcorn stuffed in your mouth and enjoy the ride. The Great Wall's Blu-ray release from Universal is quite good; supplements are sadly rather short, but video and audio quality are out of this world. Recommended to those whose expectations are set accordingly.


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